Candy Striped Shirt & White Culottes

I love dressing up on a holiday. I can't do the whole touristy look with sweat pants, t-shirt and a backpack thing. I prefer sorting out my looks in advance so I'm not clueless when I get to my destination. I look up looks online depending on the country I'm visiting to plan in advance. So for this shoot, I thought I would do a resort-ish theme in case any of you are heading somewhere. The decor at Olive Bar & Kitchen reminds me of towns near the Mediterranean so i wanted to do something along those lines. I chose this red and white striped shirt to pair with the culottes from my previous look. And instead of tucking the shirt in, I just knotted it up to make it midriff baring. You can wear this outfit with wedges and a straw purse for a casual day out and about town or jazz it up with statement accessories and a more structured handbag like I did if you're headed to a nice dinner or a club. Overall, an easy outfit to put together with clothes that are already in your wardrobe.

Shirt & Trousers - Zara
Earrings & Cuff - Outhouse Jewellery
Handbag - Bulgari
Shoes - Nicholas Kirkwood
Photography - Surbhi Sethi
Location - Olive Bar & Kitchen

Power Pantsuit

Pantsuits are back and they're big. And what's even better is that they're not restricted to the boardroom anymore. Cara Delevigne wore hers with sneakers to the Burberry SS 15 show, Priyanka Chopra wore one to the TIME 100 Gala this year and some celebrities have even worn them on the red carpet. There are so many ways to style the pantsuit. If you want to be casual, pair the jacket with a cool, printed tee (Disney characters are my favourite). To add a bit of sex appeal, wear nothing but a contrasting coloured bra underneath or try a cropped top. Even with the bottoms, no one says you have to wear simple straight pants anymore. Slouchy, skinny or flared pants and even culottes can look stunning as part of a suit. Blazers too come in a variety of styles to suit your mood; oversized, fitted and double breasted.

For my look, I chose to go all white. Anyone who knows me, knows I have an unhealthy obsession with white. Come see my house to believe it. Plus, it's really a great colour option for the summer. I chose this lovely fitted white blazer and flowy culottes that I bought on a recent shopping spree at Zara and paired with a black tank. I wanted to do the whole monochromatic look, so I thought some black and white accessories would look really cool. But I also added a slightly blingy brooch to glam it up a bit. I wanted it to be a powerful look, so I stuck to pointy toe pumps. If you want to turn it down a notch, wear espadrille wedges instead. This gorgeous caramel coloured Givenchy Antigona clutch completed my look.

But the best part about shooting this look was the location. Olive Bar & Kitchen has been one of my favourite restaurants for as long as I can remember. The husband an I almost always come here for date nights and I even celebrated my daughter's first birthday there. The cool, calming ambience and the beautiful décor make it such an ideal location for a fashion shoot. Oh, and of course their food, which has always been exceptional and innovative. If you happen to go there soon, check out their new summer menu. There's some major yumminess in there.

Jacket & Culottes - Zara
Clutch - Givenchy
Earrings, Ring & Brooch - Outhouse Jewellery
Shoes - Yves Saint Laurent
Sunglasses - Dior
Photography - Surbhi Sethi
Location Courtesy - Olive Bar & Kitchen

A Summery Off Shoulder Dress

Rania has been going through a bit of a phase lately. She's become extremely clingy and if I so much as turn around, she screams bloody murder. I'm not sure if it's teething or just separation anxiety that's sprung up from nowhere, but what I do know is that it makes working extra tough! Mommy guilt almost never leaves me and if I leave the house for a shoot whilst she's howling, it makes it even tougher. On that particular day, Rania was having one of her 'mommy don't go' tantrums. So I decided to dress her up, and take her to the park with me for a shoot. Not only did we end up having a blast, but I was able to shoot a look without all the guilt.

Trying to maintain a career and motherhood isn't easy. One has to put in a great effort in striking a balance to be able to work and spend time with your children. If I feel I've been a little too busy and haven't been able to spend time with Rania, I let go of a few activities. Sometimes, I skip the gym during the day so I get to spend those two extra hours with my baby. I cancel any social gathering that isn't of immediate importance too. Every now and then I tell my nanny to take the afternoon off or the husband and I will take Rania out on a family date so we can get some alone time with her. At the end of the day, it all comes down to prioritising. But if you have been going through the mommy guilt, just remember as long as you make it a point to be there for your kids whenever you have some free time, you're already an amazing mom. Don't beat yourself up about it because that wont get you anywhere.

Anyways, for this look, I chose this super summery, and super short, off shoulder dress with blue and white stripes. The minute I saw this online, I was in love with it. It was so pretty and the floral embroidery added just the right touch. It felt so flirty and fun when I put it on. I love how there are endless ways to accessorise the dress. You can wear an oversized straw hat and layer thin necklaces, or you can wear one big chunky neck piece and tie your hair back. Pair it with knee high gladiator sandals, espadrille wedges or even androgynous brogues. For my purse, I chose the Gucci GG Marmont Leather shoulder bag that I bought a couple of months ago. You can read about it here. I felt the deep red would add a nice contrast to the blue and white. Plus, it's been my favourite purse and I haven't stopped using since I got it!


Dress - Mitali Wadhwa
Rania's Dress - Ralph Lauren
Handbag - Gucci
Earrings - Pankaj & Nidhi
Rania's Stuffed Toys - Good Earth

An Indian Couture Jacket With Jeans

As much as I love wearing Indian couture outfits, one thing that always upsets me is that after spending so much money on them, I can only wear them two to three times. We all have this strange mentality that if we have worn that outfit, its been 'seen' and therefore we must let it hide behind the back of our closet till the end of time! I figured out a small solution to this problem about two years ago when I picked up this fabulous Anamika Khanna suit that came with a gorgeous embellished gilet. I realised that it's best to buy an outfit that comes with various separates so I can wear them individually. For couture week 2014, I took a pair of Sabyasachi pants with this heavily embroidered border ( it came with a very regal, velvet jacket that my sister wore to my wedding ) and wore it with a shirt. I reused my JJ Valaya bandh gala that I wore to my own sangeet for BMW Bridal week, except I paired a tank top underneath it.

For another day during fashion  week, I wore this Anamika Khanna jacket over a shirt and skinny jeans. But at that time I wasn't doing personal style shoots so I never shot it. But now, I thought since it's such a lovely jacket, and that I can still wear it two years later, I might as well shoot it! Except this time, instead of skinny jeans, I wore a straight cut pair because I liked that it had a bit of a flare. What I loved most about this piece, apart from the exquisite embroidery on the front, is the back. The rear features printed flora and fauna in bright colours and balances out the embellishment in the front making it a perfect piece for both day and night. Furthermore, I love the versatility of the gilet. It can be paired with a skirt as easily as it can with jeans or even culottes and makes such a statement. So,back to my point about buying Indian couture; always stick to pieces that come with separates so you can continue to wear them a few seasons later too.

What did you think of this look? Yay, or Nay?

Jacket - Anamika Khanna
Jeans - J Brand
Bracelet - Valentino
Shirt - Zara

Easy Breezy In A Shirt Dress

In my previous posts, I have been talking about how culottes and finely tailored linen trousers are a must have for the summer. However, another important addition to your closet should be a shirt dress. Personally, I cant even count the number of those I have. In poplin, satin, cotton silk, linen; you name the fabric and I have a shirt dress in it. Oh and in possibly every colour! It's my go to silhouette in the summer especially when it's hot and humid. I wear them with sneakers during the day, or with wedges or stilettos if I'm out for dinner. Whilst most high street brands like Zara and Mango stock them, right now, I am loving the ones at Rara Avis. The difference between choosing a high street label and an Indian designer is that the latter comes with unique detailing. Case in point: The Rara Avis one I shot with. I loved it's architectural and oversized collar and the gorgeous intertwined suede pockets. Isn't that way better than the mass produced stuff you get at the malls?

Dress - Rara Avis by Sonal Verma
Clutch - Saint Laurent Paris
Shoes - Guiseppe Zanotti
Earrings - Primark
Sunglasses - Tom Ford